The Simple Secret to A Happy and Fulfilled Life.
A Quick Story About Appreciating Getting Repeatedly Kicked in the Back by The Amazing Alec
Here’s the transcription of this audio recorded especially for YOU:
Well, hello my friends. I’m out on a walk right now, and it’s really dark outside. I woke up at about 5am, probably a little before that.
Truth be known, I’ve woken throughout the night including an extended time at 3am, because our son, the beautiful, wonderful, THE AMAZING ALEC as usual decided to come into our room in the middle of the night and join us.
He comes in and climbs in the bed between Laura and I. A lot of times he will sleep mostly on her side. Thankfully we have a king size bed so there’s generally enough room.
But last night, he was definitely more on my side. That entails him laying on me, and kicking me, putting a hand on my face, or sometimes…
“THE SPINNING BUZZSAW OF DEATH” — where he does a lot of kicking, and punching and just generally being a restless sleeper.
That’s a little rough when he’s on my side of the bed (my beautiful bride can sleep right through it).
The Point of the Story
This (thought) happened last night, and it was also the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning, and it is this — and hopefully you can take something from this, too:
I am so appreciative, and so grateful that this sweet boy is ours.
That he is alive. That he is healthy. That he is happy. And that we were chosen to be his parents — and that he’s still with us…
Because every single moment with this child is a STOLEN BLESSING.
I think about when he was born, some of you were friends with me at the time and knew kind of what we were going through. He was in the intensive care unit a month after he was born. He had to go through some very extensive surgeries, one of which lasted many multiple hours and was very serious.
I think about that time, and how much…
I guess how incredibly scared I was at the time.
I know other parents feel this, but how much I…
How GLAD I would’ve been to give my own life to make sure he was fine and he was okay.
I think of that now, and it just makes me so grateful.
And I feel so blessed that he is with us, and he is in this world and he is the absolute joy that he is.
I tell him this very often: as a Dad, if I was presented with all of the boys in the world, throughout the history of boys, the billions that were out there…I’d pick him every time, and I wouldn’t think twice about it.
He is just wonderful.
What I want you to get from this, if you’re listening to this and I appreciate that — if you’re listening to this:
What I think makes a great and wonderful life is to trade your ENTITLEMENT for APPRECIATION.
What I mean about that is that none of us are guaranteed even another breath in this world.
We’ve already had a pretty long and substantial life if you’re able to hear this and understand the words I’m speaking now.
We’re not guaranteed anything.
If you trade the thought of being appreciative for that with being grateful for what you do have, each breath that you’re taking, for the entire MIRACLE of what this world is…
Over an entitlement of thinking you deserve something,
Of thinking that the world should play out exactly as you planned.
I think that trading that appreciation over that entitlement is a key to living a happy, fulfilling, and satisfying life.
My mantra lately has been:
APPRECIATION IN ALL THINGS.
The key word is “all.” Whether it’s bad, or whether it’s good, it’s something you should appreciate and realize that we are not entitled to it.
We have so much abundance in this world, and it’s something we need to think about often.
And with that wonderful thought, I will leave you. Thank you so much for your time in listening to this. It means a lot.
If you’re hearing these words, know that you are loved and deserving of the best in the world. Thank you.
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